The Message that Changes Us – Luke 4:14-21

Introduction

The goal for the Christian is to be like Jesus Christ. They follow Jesus and through obedient sanctification they become like Jesus. One of the purposes of the gospel of Luke is to reveal the humanity of Jesus, so that the goal to be like Jesus seems more attainable. (1 Corinthians 11:1) We realize who Jesus is as a man, we see the example He set for us and therefore the goal for us to be like Him.

The message of Jesus Christ is a matter of life and death. It’s not a suggestion or spiritual advice. John 5:24. To misunderstand or mistreat the message has dire consequences. If you hear and respond properly then you will have life but if you reject then it will result in death. So why is Jesus’ message so necessary ad why do we need it?

The power of the Holy Spirit

Jesus spent most of his 3 year ministry in the region of Galilee. Between verse 13 and 14 of Luke 4 there is a one year gap. Jesus was led by Holy Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted. The ministry of Jesus from beginning to end was led by the Holy Spirit. In verse 14, we see Jesus return to Galilee in the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus was fully God and yet all of His miracles were done not by His own power or deity but in the power of the Holy Spirit. As a man, he surrendered his power but did He did not abandon His deity (Phil 2:6-7). When accused of using Satan’s power for His miracles, Jesus clarifies that His power is not of Satan but of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 12:24,31-32). In life, Jesus depended fully on the Holy Spirit. And what of you? Do you depend on the Holy Spirit? Do you merely profess without actually living by the power of the Holy Spirit? Without the Holy Spirit you will have no power in your Christian life.

The necessity of Jesus’ message

When in a region, Jesus’ custom was to go into the synagogue to read God’s word and teach. During the time of Jesus’ ministry in Galilee, the people practiced Judaism (Romans 9:6-8). Unfortunately Judaism and the Law cannot save you. The purpose of the Law is to reveal your sin and cause you to repent, not to save. Even though they were passionate and zealous for Judaism they were still in the flesh. To be in the flesh is to be self-righteous. There is no way to tame the flesh or remove the guilt of sin in the flesh. That is why everyone will die according to the flesh, and after death comes judgement. Only in Christ can we forsake our old sinful flesh and be made new. (2Corinthians 5:17) Mere religion cannot accomplish this salvation, only Jesus can.

Can this message save?

Isaiah 61:1-2 is the message:

The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, Because the Lord anointed me, To bring good news to the humble; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, To proclaim release to captives And freedom to prisoners; To proclaim the favorable year of the Lord And the day of vengeance of our God; To comfort all who mourn,

God providentially provided this message to Jesus. The scroll was handed to Jesus and Jesus found the spot of Isaiah 61. This passage was not something Jesus made up or claimed as His own teaching but He fully understood that this was the Word of God. This shows that the Bible is sufficient. If you have the Bible, then you have everything you need. Use the Bible just as Jesus did. He didn’t seek outside truth but sought the truth in the Bible.

‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me‘ shows the Trinity in perpetual fellowship. Jesus is not acting or claiming of His own volition but in perfect harmony with God the Father and the Holy Spirit. ‘Anointed me‘ The word anointed means chosen, set apart for and empowered for ministry. Jesus is the only anointed one as Savior. He is appointed to bring the good news of salvation. No other message can save because no other message has been put forth by God, but only the message of Jesus Christ. The message of Jesus is most necessary not just because it can save but also because all other messages cannot.

Who is qualified to receive the saving message?

Preach the gospel to the poor. The poor does not mean physically or financially poor. More then 90% of the region of Galilee was poor. Was Jesus referring to all of them? The poor is not someone who just doesn’t have money, but truly poor means someone who cannot help themselves but is dependent on another to live. The poor are beggars. (Acts 3:2)

Just because you are poor doesn’t mean you are righteous. God even teaches the humble. Psalms 25:9. In Matthew 19:23-24 Jesus says the rich cannot enter the kingdom, not because they are rich, but they do not recognize their spiritual poverty. Even for the poor, if they do not recognize their spiritual poverty, they also cannot enter the kingdom of heaven. The ones qualified to receive the saving the message are the poor in spirit, who understand they have no righteousness and are unable to save themselves.

The poor recognize that there are no other gods before God (Exodus 20:3). You cannot depend on anything else but God (Matthew 19:21). You cannot depend on the world but you must give it all up to follow Christ. Luke 21:2-4 The widow gave up everything to depend on the Lord. She truly understood her real poverty. The prodigal son also had the attitude someone poor in spirit. Luke 15:17-19 He realized he was a sinner who didn’t deserve anything but went to his father to beg for mercy and grace. This is the true attitude of the poor

Conclusion

Jesus preaches the gospel to the poor. The poor accept the gospel because they know nothing else can satisfy their need. Their is true salvation in Jesus and His message. It’s not wealth and health, its not comfort or success. It is forgiveness from sins, adoption as sons and daughters, freedom from sin, a holy calling and eternal life. This wonderful salvation is found in God’s word. If you are not hungry or thirsty for God’s word then you are not poor yet. To those who are truly poor, God’s message makes sense and they receive salvation through it.